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Bi Family History

Bi Surname Meaning

Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 畢, originally denoting a kind of hand-net used in hunting or meaning ‘to complete’ in ancient Chinese: (i) from the placename Bi (畢), the name of a fief (located in present-day Shaanxi province) which was granted to Bi Gong Gao (畢公高 or Duke of Bi), the 15th son of the virtuous King Wen of Zhou (1152–1056 BC). (ii) adopted as a surname by the Chu Lian (出連) family from the Xianbei ethnic group in northern China during the Northern Wei dynasty (386–534 AD).

Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 秘 (also pronounced as Bei or Mi in Mandarin in some local regions) meaning ‘secret’ in Chinese: surname traced back to some powerful clans in the Qiang minority ethnic group in ancient western China.

Chinese: Teochew form of the surname 米, see Mai. This pronunciation is found in eastern Guangdong province, from where some people migrated to Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand.

Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 費 (also pronounced as Fei in Mandarin pinyin). See Fei. Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 閉, meaning ‘close’ in Chinese: surname mainly found among the Zhuang ethnic group (located in present-day Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region), said to be adopted by migrants from the present-day Shandong province.

Vietnamese (Bì): from the Chinese surname 皮, see Pi. In some cases also West African (Ghana): Akan name perhaps from a personal name based on Twi (or a related dialect of the Akan language) bi ‘another’.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022

Similar surnames:

Ba
, Ji
, Bo
, Bu
, Li
, Bai
, Pi
, Si
, Yi
, Qi

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Where is the Bi family from?

You can see how Bi families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Bi family name was found in the USA between 1880 and 1920. The most Bi families were found in USA in 1920. In 1880 there was 1 Bi family living in California. This was about 50% of all the recorded Bi's in USA. California and 1 other state had the highest population of Bi families in 1880.

Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Bi surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

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What Bi family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 12,000 census records available for the last name Bi. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Bi census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

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Passenger Lists

There are 1,000 immigration records available for the last name Bi. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

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Draft Cards

There are 17,000 military records available for the last name Bi. For the veterans among your Bi ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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What is the average Bi lifespan?

Between 1967 and 2004, in the United States, Bi life expectancy was at its lowest point in 2004, and highest in 1989. The average life expectancy for Bi in 1967 was 85, and 13 in 2004.

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